20 All Purpose Remedies Using Essential Oils

The use of essential oils for wellness and healing seems to be catching everyone’s attention these days.  This is true not only in the prepping and homesteading world, but in the mainstream world of traditional medicine as well.

While it is easy to recommend using essential oils for whatever ails you, the question of which essential oil to use for a specific ailment can be elusive.  Let’s face it.  Sometimes you have a little problem that you want to solve right now, without resorting to a ton of research.

I am going to make it easy for you.  With the assistance of contributing author Rebecca Schiffhauer, I have compiled a go-to list of 20 great ways to use essential oils to solve everyday ailments not only for you, but your pets and children as well.

20 Great Ways to Use Essential Oils

1.  Hiccups

Dab some Peppermint on the back of your neck, a little on each side of the spinal cord.

2.  Runny nose

Swipe a drop of Lemon down each side of the nose to dry it up.  Stay out of the sun afterwards to avoid sunburn.

3.  Drowsiness

Combine Peppermint and Wild Orange, apply to the back of the neck, next inhale the oil left on your hands.  Or add 4 drops of each to your diffuser.

4.  Itchy, irritated eyes

Dab Lavender with a bit of carrier oil on the facial bones surrounding your eyes (careful to keep oil away from eyes).  If applying to children, make sure they don’t rub their eyes until oil is absorbed.

5.  Allergies

Mix up equal parts of Lavender, Lemon and Peppermint ~ nature’s antibiotic!  Apply to bottom of your feet morning and night.  Diffuse if possible.  Spark Naturals sells a convenient blend called called L.L.P. – short for Lavender, Lemon and Peppermint!

6.  Ear Ache/Infection

Combine 2 drops Basil or Melaleuca (aka Tea Tree) with a little carrier oil and rub around the rim of the ear, behind the ear and just inside.  Apply several times a day.  Note:  never drop essential oils directly into the ear.

7.  Troubled breathing

Have a bit of chest congestion or asthma?  Apply Respire blend on the chest, then cup your hands over your face and breath in the residual Respire blend on it ~ creating a natural “inhaler”.

8.  Bad breath

A drop of Peppermint on your tongue and you’re kissable fresh again.

9.  Athlete’s foot

Melaleuca works wonders!  Apply neat (meaning undiluted) to affected areas twice a day.

10.  Toe fungus

Melaleuca to the rescue again.  Dab the affected toenail with a saturated q-tip morning and night.

11.  Unsightly warts or skin tags

Use a Q-tip to dab one drop of Oregano oil on the affected area morning and night.  Oregano is a hot oil so you won’t want to spread it around.  Skin tags should fall off in two or three of weeks.  Warts will take a bit longer but eventually will disappear.

For kids: Lemon works wonderfully too.  Apply morning and night and don’t cover with a Band-Aid; it’s important to let the area breathe.  Also, it’s convenient to put the EO in a roll-on bottle so kids can apply themselves…they like taking charge   Be careful of too much sun after the application of lemon oil.

12.  Cellulite

Pour a bottle of Grapefruit into a 4 oz. bottle of fractionated coconut oil and rub into problem areas after shower or bath.  You’ll smell divine and your skin will be so soft.

13.  Diaper Rash

Mix up some Diaper Spray: 18 oz. water, 1 tsp. organic body wash, 4 drops Melaleuca, 4 drops Lavender.  This is a great diaper rash preventative too!  DIY Healing Salve is a wonder for this as well.

14.  Fleas on Your Dog

Drip a couple drops of Melaleuca on back of your dog’s  collar.  Or, tie a bandanna with a few drops of Melaleuca around your dogs neck and watch fleas flee!

15.  Dog’s Ear Infection

Place 1 of drop of Melaleuca and carrier oil on a cotton ball, wipe inside of ear several times a day.

16.  Dog with Sunburned Nose

Dab a little Lavender with carrier oil on his nose for relief.  This works for people too!

17.  Muscle Aches

Mix 1 part Amend blend with 1 part fractionated coconut oil as a penetrating, pain relieving massage oil.  Add a drop of Birch or Wintergreen for extra strength.  Or, try Lemongrass mixed with some DIY Healing Salve.

18.  Fever

A few drops of Peppermint mixed with a carrier oil and applied to the torso can drop body temperature by 3 degrees in minutes.

19.  Burns

A drop of Lavender will immediately stop the pain and mitigate tissue damage.

20.  Heartburn

A couple drops of Peppermint in a small glass of milk will knock out heartburn.  Or, try rubbing a few drops of Digest blend over your chest.  It really works!

The Final Word

My love affair with essential oils continues.  These days I have moved beyond the basics of Lavender, Rosemary, Peppermint and Melaleuca (tea tree) and  rely on a variety of oils to do various things.  They are used for first aid, personal grooming, stress relief, and general health and wellness.

To be honest, three years ago, if someone told me I was going to dump, literally, all of my over-the-counter remedies in favor of essential oils I would have thought “no way”.  Clearly, that is exactly what has happened.  I now have a large collection of oils that should serve me well for a long time as long and I continue my pursuit of knowledge about these amazing substances.

I know I am not alone.  Whenever I write an article extolling the virtues of essential oils, I receive a flurry of emails that reflect a pent up interest in learning more about essential oils and how they can be used to enhance our long term well-being and survival.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye Levy, also known as the Survival Woman, grew up and attended school in the Greater Seattle area. After spending many years as an executive in the software industry, she started a specialized accounting practice offering contract CFO work to emerging high tech and service industries. She has now abandoned city life and has moved to a serenely beautiful rural area on an island in NW Washington State. She lives and teaches the principles of a sustainable and self-reliant lifestyle through her website at BackdoorSurvival.com. At Backdoor Survival, Gaye speaks her mind and delivers her message of prepping with optimism and grace, regardless of the uncertain times and mayhem swirling around us.